Bringing you the high-speed motorcycle racing news & action from today with the race photos from yesterday & today.
Having followed AMA Flat Track, AMA Road Racing, WERA & various other series since the early to mid '70s, the adrenaline-fed rush still lives on.
Thanks for making Stu's Shots your one-stop shop for racing news, info & links to the action on & off the track!
ALL shots COPYRIGHT Mike 'Stu' Stuhler (unless otherwise noted.)

Sunday, January 31, 2010

For those of you who have followed the AMA Road Racing scene in the last two or three decades, the name Andrew Stroud probably rings up memories of Formula Xtreme Championships in the late '90s for Erion Racing, as well as riding for Dutchman Racing in the EBC Endurance Series in the early '90s. So what would a guy who traveled half way around the world to run the U.S. series be doing today at the ripe young age of 43? Superbike racing..........and winning, to boot, in his homeland of New Zealand. And from what I was able to find on him, doing a heck of a job of it at that, and not just this season. He HAS been for several seasons. The guy must be an ironman to still be jammin' it WFO on a superbike after all these years. Not that 43 is THAT old, but for racing finely and highly tuned superbikes, that's a dinosaur.

Mr. Stroud first hit the U.S. scene, at least to my meager remembrances, in the early '90s racing the big GSXR1100's for Dutchman, and then won the Formula Extreme class in '97 riding a Honda CBR900/929-based open bike for Erion Racing. And that year he won 7 of 9 races for the season. So it's not like he just has had a little fluff to spread around here and there, he wrote the book for consistency and bringing it home on the top of the box. But that's not all....

One of Andrew's other accomplishments that I recall is he helped the late John Britten ride and develop the Britten V1000 that he had designed, engineered and built from the ground up back in the late '80s and early '90s. The Britten motorcycle was on the edge of not only refined and superb craftsmanship and design, but it was almost impossible to build your own race bike to go against the 'Big 4' and compete at ANY level with them. You can read about the Britten's here and see what an accomplishment John Britten made to the world of motorcycle racing before his too early and untimely death:

So when I saw that one and young Mr. Andrew Stroud was still kickin' a** and taking names in motorcycle racing, and now back closer to home half way around the world, I not only thought how friggin' cool but that I needed to drag a few shots out of him from back in the day to help him to celebrate his race wins and career accomplishments. It's great to hear and see this kind of thing out of people you have followed over the years, and this guy was and still is one of the best. You can also read the official news right here thanks to John and his people at www.roadracingworld.com, the great folks at New Zealand Superbike at Blogspot as well as

While you are reading up on Andrew Stroud, I'll fill you in on Stu's Shots for today.

While racing for Dutchman Racing in the '92 season at Mid Ohio, the top shot shows Stroud having the reigns handed over to him on the big GSXR1100 by his team mate Scott 'Z-Man' Zampach. As a sister event to the Superbike class and the 600/750 classes in those days,

EBC sponsored the EBC Endurance Series events that ran as a three hour show on one of the days throughout the weekend. As a capper event for those guys that year, they ran what they called the Monster Bike Shootout before Sunday's main 600 and Superbike events. It was a five lap shoot out, included the standard starts, WITH a rider switch thrown in for good measure. Hey, part of endurance events IS switching off, right?!

The second shot is Dutchman team mates Andrew Stroud (L) and Scott Zampach (R) on the grid for the intros for the Monster Bike Shootout at high noon on Sunday.

Next up is Z-Man on the #1 Dutchman GSXR following the #25 Fastline/MCM Racing on their Suzuki GSXR1100 and #9 Team America on their Honda CBR900/929-based endurance mount.

We then see Dutchman leading #13 M2 Racing on their CBR900/929-based bike out of the pits after a rider switch. And to close out today's post, last but not least a shot of Andrew flashing past the start/finish line and pits during his stint on the big Dutchman Gixxer.

Thanks again for taking the time to hang out with us here at Stu's Shots and we hope your stay has been pleasant. And we look forward to being able to host your presence again soon. Take care, God Bless, and have a great week!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

I just want to say thanks again to Brett over at http://www.triumphflattrack.com/ for putting up some more shots of mine from back in the day. You're a good man, Brett, and I appreciate the help any way I can get it!The shot above was taken in '75 at Terre Haute and you can check it and a couple of others out from back in the day over at Brett's site right here:

This is another blow to the AMA series, having already lost Chaz Davies and Roger Lee Hayden. Davies will be DiSalvo's team mate on the ParkinGo Team for the 2010 season, and Roger Lee

will be riding a satellite Kawasaki for Team Pedercini in the World Superbike series as was

reported several posts ago. With the economic fall out adding to the woes of the mis-managed

series under the helm of the DMG folks, the U.S. series is taking a beating and we are only

six-some odd weeks out until all of the teams show up for Daytona the first week of March.

Adding to the series woes are the slimmed-down purses and the lack of some factory involvement and the U.S. series is looking pretty weak right now.

Hopefully with the new people from the DMG in charge this year, they still have a chance to build something back up from the stripped and weakened series. Having at one time been considered a world class series, the AMA series is now considered a skeleton of it's former self. Again you can't rule out the economy, but the mis-managed series did a great job of shooting itself in the foot several times throughout the 2009 season to put it in the position it is now. Here's hoping they can turn our once illustrious U.S.-based championship around to it's once prominent stature.

While you are reading up on Jason's move across the pond, I'll fill you in on today's Stu's Shots

to go along with today's posting.

First up is a shot of Jason on his #40 Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 while practicing for the

2006 AMA Superstock race at Road America in the turn 8 area. Then we have a shot of Jason

from the '05 season at Mid Ohio as he runs with Aaron Yates on the #20 Team Yoshimura

Suzuki GSXR1000 during the Superstock final event that weekend.

Also from the '05 season we see Jason chasing Aaron Yates again into turn 14 during the

Superstock final at Road America. Roger Lee Hayden on the #95 Team Kawasaki ZX10R is

keeping them within reach as well. Then from the '06 race weekend we have a shot of a couple

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

In what could turn out to be THE super team in AMA Flat Track for the upcoming season,

Bryan Smith has stepped on board with Bill Werner AND Jay Springsteen to ride a Kawasaki

650 Ninja-based twin and 450 single in each of the flat track series this year.

Smith, who has been one, if not THE most consistent rider in terms of scoring top points finishes

in each of the last four or five years, will team with the all-time leader in championships when it

comes to Mr. Super Tuner, Bill Werner. Werner, having won his first of 13 championships with

Gary Scott back in '75, has been working with the Kawasaki's the last couple of years and looks

ready to put a big-time run in for the overall, and respective twins and singles championships.

And with 'The Old Gunslinger' Jay 'Springer' Springsteen on board as rider-coach for the team,

not too mention being arguably the most popular flat track racer of all time, this is sure to be considered an effort to respect, look out for, and be very wary of. And if not for the first

year, when they get any of the first year kinks worked out, look out.

Bryan Smith has more then proved himself on the track , as well, and will bring a work effort

and work ethic that is very admirable to the team. After finishing in the top 5 each of the last

four seasons in flat track, Smith's factory support was dropped at the end of last year from Harley. Revenge anyone? And Bill Werner's records of national wins, national championships,

and what the man has brought and given back to the sport is epic in itself. And then with

Springer in the loop to help coach, train and set up the bikes for the different track conditions,

well, has the train stopped yet?!

Being as how the Harley Davidson XR-750 has pretty much dominated the sport for especially the last 16 years in terms of championships, having a big play team like this come along is big!

Let alone one that EVERY major team member has been part of that domination over the course of the last four or so decades, this could really be GOOD and BIG for the sport of AMA Flat Track racing. And it could also help to instill some much-needed new blood, fan following, and outside looks into this wonderful racing series. I personally can't wait! GO WSRK!!! And thank you to all for making an effort to put something like this together.

Another good thing I really like about this team set up, especially with the way things have

been in the last few years with the split championships and all, is the fact that Bryan Smith will

be on one make, and one make only for this effort. Instead of splitting his time riding an XR on the big tracks and a 450-single based Honda or whatever on the short tracks, he will be Kawasaki-mounted all the way. This can't but help more with rider AND brand identification in the series, which seems to have lost some of that unless it's for each of the respective singles OR twins series. At least having one guy, on one make, for the whole year, trying to figure out where Bryan Smith is for the year just got a whole lot easier as you know he'll be on the green bike! Or at least assumptions being as what they are when it comes to a Kawasaki racing effort. Of course they do make red bikes, too......but you get my drift. You'll know where Bryan Smith is on the track this year in all the races.

And that's a good thing to new fans trying to come in to this sport or to tv viewers, as well. Brand AND talent identification is big for getting the masses to recognize you. Or whatever masses flat track racing may have, has had, or could and will have. For those that manage to see this sport, and those that have, you all know once you've been there, there is no turning back. Although flat track may not have the strongest and largest following of any of the motor sports series, anyone that's seen it will tell you the same thing--WOW! Kind of like the first time you had sex in your life...'where the hell has THIS been all my life!!' Still the best show on wheels, hands down. If this stuff doesn't excite you, you don't have a pulse.....

To help Werner Springsteen Racing Kawasaki and Bryan Smith celebrate their thrilling new announcement for the 2010 season, I've dug into the archives of Stu's Shots to try and bring you an overall view of the team make up for this season. Not to mention where the team members have been and come from in the last 35 or so years!

To start off with we have #42 Smith in the middle of turn one at the Springfield short track on Labor Day weekend of 2004. This heat shot has Joe Kopp on the #3 to Bryan's inside and #34 Nicholas Williams to his outside. Right behind Smith on the #11 is Bryan Bigelow.

Next up is Bryan signing for and speaking with a youngf an during the Springfield short track pit walk through over Labor Day weekend in '07. Behind him sit his #42's ready to rock 'n roll for later in the evening.

Then we have a shot of Mr. Super Tuner, Mr. Flat Track Wrench himself, Bill Werner, the all-time winningest tuner in AMA Flat Track racing, the 13-time Champ checking on his rider

Gary Scott during practice for the 1975 Peoria TT. Scott's back up is below BW in the pits. Bill earned his first of many championships at the end this season.

And we couldn't celebrate this team without a shot of Springer himself. You can see him in the orange shirt on the tailgate of his truck on the right side of this shot talking with some people while out front are one of his #9 Bartel's-sponsored XR's alongside one of Bart Markel's old

XR #4's. Springer had just restored this bike before he had it on display at the Indy Mile during MotoGP weekend in August of '09.

And finally we have the Springfield Mile from Labor Day weekend of '06. As the field drops the hammer for the national final, you have #42 Bryan Smith surrounded by #1, 7-time Grand National Champion Chris Carr, #3 and 2000 Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, #31 and future 3-time Grand National Champion Kenny Coolbeth, #28 Shaun Russell and #14 Jake Johnson. And that's just the front row. Also visible in this shot are #10 Dan Stanley, #17 Henry Wiles, #89 Kevin Varnes, #59 Rusty Rogers and #11 Bryan Bigelow. Smith went on to win what was his first, of what should be many, Springfield Mile Nationals that afternoon.

I hope you have enjoyed this celebration of what should be GREAT things to come for Bryan Smith and Werner Springsteen Racing Kawasaki, let alone the fans and friends of the AMA Flat Track series. This year just got a whole lot more interesting! Thanks for coming by and we hope to see you again soon. Take care and God Bless and stay warm.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

One of the oddities of the rise and fall of the economy is the effect it has on people. Whether it

be the million dollar corporate exec, the regular working guy, or even the factory-contracted pilots who risk their lives on a regular basis to thrill us in the sport of motorcycle road racing.

Obviously for the working guy, tomorrow can be a big if. The million dollar exec will most often survive--if he didn't spend foolishly and invested and saved properly. And the factory pilot? Well, he may be okay in terms of financials in dealing with the economy, but no one knows no

work like an out of job motorcycle racer. When you aren't on the track, when you aren't in the

limelight of the public and/or fan's eyes, when you aren't out their showing your stuff, the world

of motorcycle racing can and will leave you behind.

Of all of the current motorcycle road racers out of work, 'former' factory pilot Jamie Hacking is

one who hopes it won't leave him behind. As are his fans, such as myself, who consider it a tragedy that a man with the skill and talent levels of The Hacker, who has more then proved himself on the track. With his three AMA Championships, his superbike class wins and points

tallies, and his numerous wins in Supersport and Superstock races among many other accomplishments, Jamie Hacking has a racing resume that The Pope would be impressed with.

And for mere mortals such as myself, I and many other fans over the course of the last 12-13 years have seen what this man has done on the track and the rapport he has with the fans and

the sheer excitement level that he brings to a race, and you have to wonder why he doesn't have

a contract to race motorcycles for the upcoming season?

There are several possibilities, most of which would point to the overall economy as how it

pertains to motorcycles, motorcycle road racing, and motorcycle sales. And without a doubt

some of it could point to the reckless way that the AMA/DMG people ran roughshod on the

paddock last year and drove off the people and teams and factories and Japanese that had

supported the U.S. series for decades. But that is for someone else to debate and argue and

point out. And to help you wonder why as much as I do and have, or to better help you to make

up your own mind on the reason, I have included the press releases from the last few days so

that you can do so. First I have to take the time to thank my main man, Larry Lawrence,

for his outlook on the current subject over at his website http://www.theriderfiles.com/. And then thanks again to Dean Adams and his crew for the interview and spin over at his site

While you are taking a read, today's Stu's Shots come to you from beautiful Road America, in

Elkhart Lake, WI., during the '04 and '06 AMA Supersport and Superstock campaigns.

Starting out we have Jamie on the Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 Superstock machine coming

out of turn 8 during practice for the '06 round. He won the '06 AMA Superstock Championship later that year, along with the '06 AMA 600 Supersport Championship. The last time anyone

won both championships in the same year was in the late '80s when Doug Polen did it. Pretty cool and hard to attain feat, for sure.

We then see Jamie leading in the earlier stages of the 600 Supersport race on the #1 as they come into turn 14 at Road America in '04. He's leading his teammate Aaron Gobert on the #96 Graves Motorsports Yamaha R6, followed by teammates and brothers Tommy Hayden on the #22 and Roger Lee Hayden on the #95 Team Kawasaki ZX6R-based machines, with #40 Jason DiSalvo on another Graves bike trying to stay ahead of #11 Ben Spies on a Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR-600. Jamie was the defending 600 Supersport Champion from '03, hence the change to

his number plate in this class.

We then have a paddock shot from '06 of Jamie's championship-winning Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 Superstock machines as they are in various stages of being prepped for the weekend races.

Fourth on today's list is JH again on the #2 Graves Yamaha R1 trying to chase down #95 Roger Lee Hayden on his #95 Team Kawasaki ZX10R-inspired mount during the Superstock finale in '04.

And last but not least is Jamie giving it his best impression of WFO coming out of turn 8 during

practice for the '04 Superstock race at Road America.

Thanks again to all of you for coming by and for spending your time with Stu's Shots. We hope you have seen something that will want you to keep coming back to enjoy this wonderful thing of motorcycle racing and to hang out again with us and do some bench racing while we try to stay

warm from the chill of a January winter in the midwest and get amped up for the upcoming motorcycle racing season. Take care, God Bless and have a safe week.

The shots for tonight's post are from the '94 season here in the AMA Superbike Championship-

when men were men, superbikes were weapons of choice, and racing in America was a good thing. From the top, you have Troy on his #19 FBF Ducati blazing a trail on the back straight

at Road Atlanta in practice for the season ending round that weekend. Then on to Troy in a pack

of riders at Mid Ohio during the superbike finale. Leading his team mate #21 Pascal Picotte on

another FBF Duck is future 2-Time World Superbike Champ #45 Colin Edwards en route to his

first AMA Superbike win for Vance and Hines Yamaha, with Miguel Duhamel on the #17 VR-1000 Harley Davidson partially hidden behind TC, and bringing up the rear is Jamie James, the

former AMA Superbike Champ on the #2 Vance and Hines Yamaha.

We then have a shot from earlier in the season at Road America during practice of Troy hanging

on the wall as Eraldo Ferracci looks over the scene as the team works on the #19 superbike. Then back to Mid Ohio during practice as Troy runs behind Mike Smith on the #68 Smokin' Joe Honda RC-45 followed by Eric Moe on the #57 as they take the last corner onto the pit front stretch. And last but not least is a shot of Troy's championship-winning mount in the paddock at Road Atlanta.

Thanks again for stopping in to hang out with us here at Stu's Shots and we hope you are doing well in the new year and the arctic cold that has enveloped the midwest hasn't totally frozen you

out from reality. Less then six weeks to the opening round of the World Superbike Championship and we will be able to feed our passion of motorcycle racing once again! God Bless and take care and we hope to see you back here again soon--and hopefully not with your tongues frozen to a

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Indianapolis

The King

The 4-1-1

Fan of all racing, but the bikes are what makes the adrenaline flow and the rush set in.
In what started as an attempt to share and scrapbook my racing catalog, I have since streamlined my coverage to give a more updated and behind the scenes look at motorcycle racing from the eye of my camera and from my perspective as a long-time fan.
So stay tuned for coverage of AMA Pro Flat Track and Road Racing, along with some of the other series that showcase the great sport of 2-wheeled high speed racing!
You can e-mail me @: stuman714@yahoo.com